


Latent to Blatant

by a_fearsome_thing



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Episode Related, Gen, Missing Scene, Racism, Sort of--it's about the Galra, so maybe xenophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 15:31:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10166036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_fearsome_thing/pseuds/a_fearsome_thing
Summary: Shiro takes issue with the way Allura has been treating Keith ever since they returned from the Blade of Marmora headquarters and Keith told the team about what he had learned. She's not being fair, and he intends to let her know that.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Rewatching season 2 a little while ago, I realized I was still mad at Allura for how she treated Keith. Yes, she apologized, and he seemed to forgive her, but she treated him like garbage. I needed to process both that and the fact that Hunk was the only one to say anything in support of him. And only after it had already been happening. So I had Shiro yell at her.
> 
> Yes, this season happened at breakneck speed and probably only took a couple of days. Yes, Allura has every reason to still acutely be feeling Zarkon's betrayal and distrust of Galra. Yes, I was still mad because she was a jerk to Keith when he has just been doing his best in a war against the Galra that they stumbled into. 
> 
> This helped. It's not the most friendly towards Allura. I don't hate her! I just very much disagreed with her actions her, and Shiro and Coran being open to the other Galra didn't exactly help.

"Princess Allura, I need to talk to you." Shiro keeps his tone respectful, but it’s underlined with steel. He's not asking. 

Allura turns, surprised and somewhat concerned, and Coran looks up, frown in place. 

"Of course, Shiro, what is it?" she asks, her full attention on him.

Shiro eyes Coran where he watches from a distance, fixing something in Lance's seat. "Maybe we should talk about this privately."

Both Coran and Allura's eyebrows rise before Allura's sink down into a flat line, posture growing ramrod straight. He can't be positive, but Shiro thinks she might even grow a slight bit taller. She knows what’s coming. “Coran can stay.”

Shiro’s shoulders tense and then loosen in automatic response, and he forces himself to maintain just a straight-backed, nonthreatening stance. He's not going to be intimidated away from this, but he doesn’t need it to start as a fight. "Alright. It's about Keith."

Her chin tilts upward, "What about Keith?"

"Ever since we returned from the Blade of Marmora headquarters, you've been treating him unfairly." Shiro crosses his arms, daring her to deny it. "Unfairly" doesn't even begin to cover the aggression and boldfaced suspicion Allura has adopted since Keith shared what he learned about his family.

Keith hasn't complained, but Shiro knows it hurts him. 

"I treat him the same as I treat any other Galra," Allura says, no sign of wavering in her eyes. 

Anger flares hot in Shiro's chest, and he tamps it down with effort. Allura is a good person and a part of the team. Keeping his temper in check is important here. 

"Except he's not just any other Galra. He's Keith, the Red Paladin of Voltron and our teammate. That hasn't changed." As much as he tries to quell the anger and keep it internalized, there's a hard edge to his words like a warning. 

Allura doesn't back down. "That didn't mean much the last time a Galra was a Paladin of Voltron."

"Keith is not Zarkon." 

"Not yet," Allura returns, and there's almost pity in her eyes now, like he’s being naive. "But Galra are cunning, vicious, and treacherous. They cannot be trusted."

Shiro's eyes narrow, "That's not Keith."

"Keith is Galra," she shoots back. 

"Keith is _Keith_. He's human, too. But none of that even matters, because we know him. He's a good person, Princess, and being Galra doesn't change any of that." It's only by sheer force of habit and training that Shiro is able to call her by her title and make it not sound like a curse. 

Allura crosses and uncrosses her arms, diplomatic training warring with her desire to display her naked agitation. "It changes everything. You couldn't possibly understand."

Her words ring out, loud and assured, in the room. The noises of Coran's fiddling stop altogether, and Shiro asks, "What couldn't I understand?"

He speaks slowly and contained, not wanting to jump to conclusions and giving her time to rethink what she's saying. His jaw clenches in anticipation for her response. 

The pity is plain on her face now. "The Galra betrayed Voltron once, and they'll do it again. They destroyed my planet and killed all of my people. You have no idea what they're capable of." 

Ice takes root in Shiro's gut and blossoms out, chilling his heart and turning his fury cold. He waits a tick for Allura to realize what she has said and to whom, but she simply places her hands on her hips and glares down at him in self-righteous superiority. 

His voice is quiet but no less powerful for it when he grinds out, "I don't know what they're capable of?"

His arm weighs heavy at his side and he's hyper-aware of every inch of his skin. A vein of regret cracks across Allura's features as her eyes dart to his arm, his hair, his visible scar. 

“Shiro…” she starts. He doesn’t let her finish.

"I was their prisoner for a year. The Galra tortured me, forced me to fight for their entertainment, took my arm, drugged and experimented on me. I _know_ they've destroyed worlds, more than just Altea." Raw fury deepens his voice as it’s dragged across his vocal cords and out his mouth, "A Galra also helped me to escape from them, sacrificed his life to save us, and led us to a resistance formed by other Galra fighting against Zarkon's empire."

It's through sheer force of will and no actual desire to physically hurt Allura that he keeps his arm from activating. The restraint he's placing on his actions weakens that over his words, though. 

"You've slept through most of the Galran invasion. You told us which Lions to pilot, but it was the _Lions_ who accepted us. Red _accepted_ Keith. _You_ lied to us about Zarkon and the original Black Paladin, and then sent us into a war where that information could be used against us and nearly got my team killed." 

There's bitterness and hurt and blame in the words, and they're designed to wound. Shiro will regret it later, and he'll likely apologize, but for now he doesn’t care. He means every word of it. 

Allura falters, hurt and guilt flashing across her face. Coran is a silent figure in the background. That, more than anything else, is most shocking.

Shiro's almost done. "I’ve known Keith for years now, and he has _always_ been loyal, brave, and caring. He would fight and die for the entire universe because it’s the right thing to do. And he's willing to give almost anyone a chance. I have always been proud of him, and to know that he looks up to me. He’s capable of amazing things." Shiro backs up a step, and then pauses. "I used to think the two of you were similar. I guess not."

Allura lets out a small gasp, but Shiro just turns and walks away.

Let Coran comfort her now. 

His parting shot was cruel and unlike him to say, and quite possibly unfair, but Shiro is mad. It takes a lot to push him so far over the edge into uncaring, but once he's there, he's insensitive and mean and, worst of all, precise. 

He nearly always regrets his words after he's cooled off, but for now he lets himself be angry. 

Yes, Allura lost her planet in a targeted genocide initiated by someone she likely grew up trusting. He understands where her anger and distrust are coming from, and he honestly doesn't blame her for it. She's been hurt, deeply, by Zarkon and the Galra, and it will take time and a lot of effort for her to overcome that pain. The fact she's even willing to work with the Blade at all is a testament to her strength. 

But Shiro will not let her take that out on Keith. He doesn't deserve it. Coming to terms with having alien genes is hard enough before adding in Keith's abandonment issues and his desire to fit in, find his family, and understand where he comes from and who he is. He's obviously been struggling with the concept that he could be related to the beings that have enslaved half of the universe, and Allura will only damage him by declaring that those ties he has no control over—or even prior knowledge of—make him evil. 

Shiro takes a deep breath and tries to release some of his anger in the exhale. He's still keyed up and shaking, but the other Paladins don't need to know that he just yelled at Allura. Keith especially. He wants to be accepted as himself, not because Shiro orders it.

He won't appreciate what Shiro just did. 

Sighing, Shiro runs a hand through his hair. He'll need to apologize to the Princess sooner rather than later, but he needs just a bit more time. For now, he heads to the training deck, hoping to burn off some of the excess energy before he finds his team. 

**Author's Note:**

> Shiro does apologize later. And, canonically, Allura realizes that she's being unfair. 
> 
> I truly, honestly, do not hate her. I love her character. I do not love what she did for a few episodes of season 2. She has a truly tragic side to her story, and a lot of it comes from a place of pain. I understand that. I just needed to vent. Shiro and I _both_ apologize later. 
> 
> (Honestly, I also really wanted to let Shiro just be angry. He so rarely gets to, and I feel like he's probably got some pent up in there.)
> 
> Agree or disagree, comments are appreciated! And, as always, my tumblr is thehouseofthebrave if you want to anonymously come talk about it there. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh! Bonus points for whoever can figure out what the title is from. Hint: It is a song.


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